tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2679338775921481872017-09-26T16:36:06.371-04:00Rosyfinch Ramblings...finding birds and beauty close to homeKenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-54496043247556077012017-09-21T06:59:00.000-04:002017-09-21T06:59:55.692-04:00Birding in between hurricanesWe returned to Florida from Illinois on August 5, flew to Amarillo only six days later, then on to Corpus Christi, Texas on August 16 and returned to Florida on August 20. Hurricane Harvey struck Corpus Christi on August 26. As Hurricane Irma approached our Florida home we escaped to New Mexico on September 6, came back to Florida on September 12, then departed for Illinois on September 16. This Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-42400688367806456812017-09-14T05:50:00.000-04:002017-09-14T07:49:17.855-04:00Calm before the stormThe approach of Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in history, struck fear as she moved directly towards our south Florida home. During the previous week the weather had been normal for late summer.
The view of our local wetlands before sunrise while the storm was still far away:
Fair skies in mid-morning:
At first we planned to shutter our home and ride out the storm, windowless Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-91088250591880236692017-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:002017-09-07T08:01:12.455-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to September, 2014Once again I am looking back three years and remembering how it was then, and maybe what I might expect this time around. My archives contain 410 photos processed that month. As usual I will look for my favorite memes-- birds and other critters, beautiful skies and reflections, fences, signs of the season, and maybe a few shots which speak for themselves.
Back in 2014, we started the month at Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-8860187218440368012017-08-31T05:47:00.000-04:002017-08-31T06:16:52.209-04:00Corpus Christi beach before Hurricane HarveyWe spent 5 days on North Padre Island, just outside Corpus Christi, Texas, with our daughter, her husband and their two daughters. We departed on August 20, less than a week before Hurricane Harvey made a direct strike. Our condominium was located on the beachfront, third floor. Our bed was situated right next to a glass wall which overlooked the beach and the expanse of the Gulf of Mexico:
Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-8275609144647446232017-08-24T07:42:00.000-04:002017-08-24T08:11:49.589-04:00Crops & Clips:Texas Panhandle birdsThese natural rock formations in Palo Duro Canyon resemble ancient edifices:
I have supplemented my heavy Canon 80D DSLR and its 420 mm lens system (300mm L/4 with 1.4x extender) with a mirrorless Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II and an Olympic M.ZUIKO MSC ED-M 75-300mm II (f/ 4.8-6.7) zoom lens. It weighs only 2.05 pounds (0.97 Kg) compared to the 5.16 pounds (2.34 Kg) of my big rig. After Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-13508156076448041082017-08-17T08:53:00.000-04:002017-08-17T08:53:01.878-04:00Crops & Clips: It's only a sparrowOut on a trail which traverses the north prairie of Nelson Lake (Dick Young/Nelson Lake Marsh Forest Preserve) in Batavia, Illinois, a passerby stopped to watch me as I was intently focusing my camera into the high grass. I turned to say hello and he asked me what I was seeing. "A Henslow's Sparrow," I replied. His response was "Oh, only a sparrow," and he moved on his way.
A dramatic sky over Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-43194131202335033242017-08-10T05:40:00.000-04:002017-08-10T05:40:23.508-04:00Blue & Gold: Birds of midsummerAs July gives way to August, the morning chorus diminishes in the grasslands and woodlands of northeastern Illinois. The prairies take on an increasingly golden hue. This is the prairie pothole at nearby Nelson Lake preserve in Batavia:
Common Yellowthroats are still tending to nests and singing, usually out of sight in the high vegetation:
The songs of orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-64210558433116887402017-08-03T08:00:00.000-04:002017-08-03T08:05:01.358-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to August, 2014This was the first year since moving to Florida that we spent the entire month of August without a trip to our second home in NE Illinois. Truth is that we were a bit travel-weary after our Alaska RV trip and had to catch up on necessary appointments. As has been my monthly habit, I perused my photo archives from three years ago to find images which illustrate some of my favorite memes: Birds andKenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-13697982385126931652017-07-27T06:28:00.000-04:002017-07-27T16:29:03.531-04:00Summer and Dickcissels on the Illinois prairieMidsummer days in Illinois have often reached higher temperatures than those back home in south Florida, but the humidity is not quite as uncomfortable.
We sought out the shade in nearby Fabyan Preserve, Geneva, Illinois. I so enjoyed this sun-dappled spot in the Japanese Garden, a photo of which I rendered as an oil painting:
Nelson Lake in Batavia, Illinois reflects the blue sky as a Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-90668221560224348042017-07-20T07:45:00.001-04:002017-07-20T07:45:39.140-04:00Rain birdsEarly in June, a tropical storm system worked its way across the Florida peninsula, bringing buckets of rain plus thunder and a few tornadoes. One morning our walk was aborted even before we reached the entrance of our birding patch. During a break in the precipitation, we drove to nearby Chapel Trail preserve but the rains came again and "spoiled" my photo of a Loggerhead Shrike along the Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-18225143237284582382017-07-13T07:00:00.000-04:002017-07-13T13:51:03.502-04:00Tricolored Heron: Beauty and grace
One benefit of living on a lake in south Florida is that the shoreline serves as the stage for some wonderful performances. Here, the lake is calm as storm clouds gain strength in the northwest behind our home:
Tricolored Heron at Green Cay preserve, Boynton Beach, Florida:
Although they are slender, stand over 2 feet tall (60-70 cm) and have a three foot (91 cm) wingspan, Tricolored Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-25565072865063215562017-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:002017-07-06T08:00:02.030-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to July, 2014Once again, it is time to glean through my photo archives from three years ago to look for examples of favorite memes: Fences, Skies. Reflections, Birds and other Critters, images which depict the Seasons and Wordless scenes that need no explanation.
Reflecting upon the month of July, 2014 I remember how the previous month's trip to Alaska disturbed the rhythm of our annual summer "migrationsKenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-22003904208469747472017-06-29T06:24:00.000-04:002017-06-29T06:34:14.252-04:00Crops & Clips: Birding Bliss (Woods)After wintering at our permanent home in Florida, we flew to Illinois at the end of April. Our first foray was to Bliss Woods Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove, about a 5 mile drive from our second home. We were scheduled to participate in a spring bird count the next weekend, so it seemed to be a good idea to check out the area. Winds had been from the north for almost a week when we arrived (and Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-23429921562184802552017-06-22T05:26:00.001-04:002017-06-25T08:05:30.237-04:00Distracted by a KilldeerWe enjoy two seasons, Warm (and dry) and Hot (and wet). The rainy season has most certainly arrived in south Florida. Nearly every morning we must consult the weather radar and try to guess whether it is safe to walk the 1 1/2 miles out to the far north end of the neighborhood wetlands.
Here, from our back patio, is a view of a typical sunrise in mid-June:
Keeping an eye on the weather, Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-34966642460695364642017-06-15T06:11:00.002-04:002017-06-15T16:17:51.401-04:00Crops & Clips: Orchard OrioleDue to the frequent rain, our NE Illinois second home was under a flood watch during the first part of May. The Fox River was quite high. Its flood plain provided some nice reflections:
The skies were either cloud-bound or spotlessly blue. Here is the entrance to nearby Nelson Lake preserve in Batavia, on a beautiful morning in early May:
The Orchard Oriole is one bird which I have hadKenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-56011611985950042032017-06-08T05:53:00.000-04:002017-06-08T05:53:04.253-04:00A wet welcome to IllinoisThe rains came as soon as we arrived in NE Illinois at the end of April, and nighttime temperatures dropped to near freezing the first few nights. In between raindrops and braving high winds, we managed to get a few hours outdoors each day. While not providing much exercise, our daughter's back yard was quite productive.
A double rainbow was visible when an afternoon rainstorm skirted by:
Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-28224178315733550852017-06-01T06:52:00.000-04:002017-06-01T06:57:08.173-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to June, 2014What a thrill to be looking back three years to June, 2014. It was a very active month. As usual I will search my archives for some interesting memes among the 368 photos processed out of the thousands I took that month. I will find lots of Critters, including plenty of Wild Birds, some beautiful Skies and Reflections, Wordless scenes that depict All Seasons, and do hope to continue my string of Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-50614314979543479812017-05-25T07:36:00.000-04:002017-05-27T08:45:37.515-04:00Cedar Waxwings at Lippold ParkLocated along the eastern shore of the Fox River in Batavia, Illinois, Lippold Park can be a very productive birding destination. A popular bike path runs along its outer perimeter. When we first visited the park back in 2008 the area was relatively undisturbed and included prairies, woodlands, a marsh and pond. The dirt paths were sometimes muddy and not maintained.
I was disappointed when Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-21925503307535283682017-05-18T06:01:00.000-04:002017-05-18T06:01:20.394-04:00ROY G BIV: Birds of a spectrumJust after sunrise, a rain shower passed to the north of the lake in our local south Florida wetlands. A rainbow reflected on the surface of the water:
The human eye can discern electromagnetic radiation in a rather narrow band of wavelengths of about 390 to 700 nanometers, a frequency of 430-770 THz. The visible colors of the spectrum may be arranged in the order of their frequency, from Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-29595511520674545182017-05-11T07:15:00.000-04:002017-05-11T07:36:43.509-04:00Birding in a pocket parkJones Meadow Park is located only a few blocks away from our second home in NE Illinois. It is surrounded by development but is a quiet oasis with remarkably varied habitats, including manicured lawns with ornamental shrubbery, woodlands, a pond, wet meadows and marshes.
This is one of my favorite photos of the area, taken in June of last year:
A paved pathway winds around the south and Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-82285579156285258742017-05-04T07:20:00.000-04:002017-05-04T07:23:07.209-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to May, 2014Just as was the case back in 2014, spring migration finds us starting the month in Illinois. As has been my habit, I will try to find examples of favored memes in photos taken three years ago. Looking for examples of critters (plentiful), skies and reflections (much less so) and fences (often hard to find). Happily, all are present in my May 2014 archives, and all rekindle memories of the spring Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-84881350272457683272017-04-27T05:25:00.000-04:002017-04-27T05:45:54.104-04:00Crops & Clips: GracklesThey are black, yet colorful as a rainbow. Specialized structures in their feathers reflect and refract light to produce iridescence. Grackles are abundant in our south Florida neighborhood. We host two resident species, Boat-tailed and Common Grackles. Boat-tailed Grackles' eye color may vary irregularly from yellow in some of the northern races to dark brown or almost black further south.
Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-18198203560457479252017-04-20T05:56:00.000-04:002017-04-20T06:05:14.924-04:00Wood Storks return south to breedOn a lake only a 20 minute drive from our south Florida home, an unexpected sight unfolded before our eyes. First a few and then scores of Wood Storks descended upon a rookery. They displaced some of the former resident egrets, other herons, cormorants and Anhingas.
Eventually, 50 to 60 storks occupied 20 or more nests and my estimate is that they have produced over 30 young.
Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-506916090286844602017-04-13T05:18:00.000-04:002017-04-18T14:43:03.670-04:00Crops & Clips: Birding bonuses
We venture out on the local wetlands before sunrise nearly every morning. As the rainy season approaches we must keep an eye on the weather.
Rain threatened on April 10:
The next morning, skies were crystal clear. About fifteen minutes before sunrise (and only a half hour after it officially became "full"), the Pink Moon was plunging into the lake. Note the shadow of the earth a few degrees Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267933877592148187.post-87986777930416241262017-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:002017-04-06T06:01:55.729-04:00Crops & Clips: Flashback to April, 2014This month I am perusing 415 images I processed in April, 2014 and looking for favorite memes: Birds and Critters, Reflections, views of the Sky, Fences, Seasons, and scenes which speak for themselves. I found examples of each, but, as usual, had to search for a fence (although a big lizard stole the show!)
Over the Easter holidays our daughter and family visited and we stayed a few nights on Kenneth Cole Schneiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13034897745614006325noreply@blogger.com40